


Schrodinger's Cat

by Azenlove



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Barbed Penis, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fur, Human to Pokemon, Kissing, Lucario - Freeform, Mild Smut, Muscles, Mysterious Relics, PAWS, Pokecenter, Pokemon x Pokemon, Porn With Plot, Romantic Fluff, Secret Relationship, Slow Transformation, Transformation, Wish Fulfillment, Zeraora - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23301679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azenlove/pseuds/Azenlove
Summary: Simon had a pretty normal life as a researcher at Hokulani Observatory. His dull nine-to-five was only made bearable by sharing time with his flatmate, a cheerful Lucario whose personality is almost as striking as her figure. After accepting the challenge of studying an ancient relic, Simon mysteriously becomes sick...only for the illness to manifest itself in unexpected ways! A fluffy oneshot about a quantum physicist transforming into a Zeraora. Contains slow TF, a cute relationship with a Lucario, and unnaturally large hand-paws.
Relationships: Zeraora/Lucario (Pokemon)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	Schrodinger's Cat

It was one of those mornings when getting out of bed was a struggle. Even with birds singing outside the window and the beautiful morning sunshine, Simon felt immobilized under his duvet. Only the promise of coffee forced him onto his feet. With a grumble, the young man proceeded through a routine of dressing, brushing his teeth, and grimly consuming a bowl of bland porridge for breakfast. Simon had always struggled with sleep. His brain seemed incapable of switching-off. Instead, even when sleeping, it ran through a thousand different problems...mostly mostly to work and his field of research. 

As a quantum physicist, Simon was constantly trying to fathom the impossible. His specialism lay in particle entanglement and superposition. For their genius, Simon was rather unassuming. With average height and complexion, topped by a mess of sandy hair, it was only his sharp blue eyes that hinted at anything beyond the ordinary. Simon was your typical twenty-something year-old living in Tapu Village on the picturesque island of Ula’ula. It was a wonderful place to settle, though he couldn’t afford anything beyond a small apartment in the west quarter of town. If it wasn’t for a friendly flatmate to split rent, Simon knew he’d be back to sofa surfing. 

Well... _flatmate_ in the sense that they shared an apartment. Vera was by no means flat and their friendship boarded on awkward roommates. It didn’t help the fact that Vera was a Pokemon. It made their relationship a little, uh… _atypical_. Sharing a house with a Lucario wasn’t exactly criminal, but it was frowned upon. Simon couldn’t afford rent alone and most people looking for lodgings were weird, reclusive, or both. Vera was a ray of sunshine even when in one of her moods. The Pokemon’s companionship was often the highlight of Simon’s day after long shifts at Hokulani Observatory.

‘You’re brewing over something this morning eh?’ Vera bounced into the kitchen, dropping her satchel onto the kitchen sideboard. Simon jumped, blinking away a tired stupor. The young man narrowly avoided knocking over his coffee, bleating as he almost spilled the sacred beverage. 

‘Uh...Morning?’ 

The female Lucario flashed Simon a cheeky smile, showing cute little white teeth. Given her rather humanoid appearance, Vera was bound by social rules she often found irritating. She was dressed in a plain white vest with the Malie Garden logo splashed across the front. It did little to hide the sizable bust housed underneath, only acting to accentuate Vera’s curves. Even compared to other Lucario, the young female struck one hell of a figure. Her blue short-shorts were so tight they were almost indistinguishable from the azure blue fur on her hips. 

‘Did you actually sleep last night?’ The Pokemon questioned, concerned with Simon’s shameless staring. The man shrugged, eyes flicking away from Vera’s toned body to instead watch the Lucario pack a bag of fruit and a nutrient bar into her bag.

‘Ughhh...not really.’ 

‘Aw buddy! Let me guess. Something stumped you at work again?’ Vera tried again. 

‘Something like that.’ Simon grumbled, rubbing at his eyes. His tired mind was getting confused over why the aura-user’s muzzle motions weren’t matching the sound in his head. A weak psychic link allowed the curvy Pokemon to communicate, something that felt so natural it was easy to forget. Emotions occasionally percolated through the mental link. Though, that didn’t include Vera’s mental stress that she was already running late for work. 

‘We’ve been given what we think might be a Pokemon containment artifact.’ Simon explained as he took a gulp of Coffee, ‘Might even be the first ever Pokeball.’ 

‘Perfect thing for a quantum physics nerd to study.’ The fighting-type replied dryly. She hoisted her satchel onto a shoulder, lightly-muscled arms holding the rucksack in place. Simon glanced back down into his drink. 

‘Uh. Yeah...It’s weird. The archeology researchers passed it on because it has strange electrical properties. Kinda like those Z-crystal things.’ 

‘Sounds fun.’ It was clear from the tone of Vera’s voice that she wasn’t interested at all. ‘But I need to get going. I’ll catch you later!’ With a rueful grin, the Lucario hopped forwards to steal a quick peck on Simon’s cheek. Reddening like he did when this happened every morning, the young scientist shooed the Pokemon away. Vera winked. With her blue tail wagging behind her, she slid out of the kitchen. It was all the physicist could do not to stare at her rounded butt as she sauntered out. A moment later and the door slammed, leaving Simon to contemplate why his life felt like it had flipped upside down once again. 

Not like he had the time to worry. The young man caught the next bus up to the observatory, swiping his keycard to gain access to the lab suite on the second floor. He had a neat office at the back of the complex which acted as a base of operations. Firing up his computer, he got to work almost immediately on the strange artifact. 

Simon wasn’t your average physicist. Not simply for the fact that he showered regularly and kept fit at the local gym, but because he’d grabbed a top research role whilst still in his mid-twenties. Settling down at his desk with the second coffee of the morning, Simon loaded up last night’s electron microprobe scans of the artifact. His days typically consisted of number-crunching various atomic scans, interpreting the data, and trying to match whatever quantum phenomena he established with the current theories. 

Whoever had discovered the strange relic also had the funding to get a full analysis of it’s odd behaviour. At another university centre, a team of linguists were trying to crack the strange symbols embossed on all sides of the box. It was definitely some sort of storage device which had been reliably dated to between four- and five-hundred years old. A tin composed of copper alloy, it was comparable in size to a cigar box engraved with complex thunderbolt designs. Most unusual, however, was how it interacted with its surrounding environment. 

Trying to explain all of that to Vera that evening back home wasn’t exactly easy. Simon was hoping that the Pokemon picked up the basics of quantum mechanics from his near-constant musings on the subject. Although the Lucario made all the right noises to feign interest, she wasn’t really listening. Instead, her red eyes watched in glee at the genuine excitement that Simon showed as he talked about his work. She didn’t care about weird electron waves, only how much the young man enjoyed lecturing her on it. Vera would never get bored of how the young man’s face lit up with joy as he passionately rambled about quarks and stuff. 

It also acted as a distraction. One that the Lucario was more than happy to take advantage of. Vera scooted up a little closer to the man as they shared the sofa, their television humming faintly in the background. Her rounded thighs were practically pressing against the man as he continued to chatter, unaware of the contact. 

‘So yeah. It’s clear there’s some entanglement going on with particles in the immediate environment. Sheesh, it’s probably entangled with me I've picked it up so many times. We know the exact composition of the alloy now...but until we open it, we’ve no idea what’s inside. It might literally be in superposition, as a way of storing information! Empty and full at the same time! It’s that amazing!?’ 

‘Yeah, uh...Wow! That’s really cool.’ Vera murmured, beginning to lean a shoulder closer and closer to her flatmate. Too busy discussing his theory, Simon hadn’t noticed how the Lucario was nudged up against him. The Pokemon was careful not to prod the man with the steel spike on her large paws as she slowly placed an arm across the back of the sofa. She could smell Simon’s subtle musky smell and the remnants of sweat from an earlier gym session. 

‘Like this is evidence of potential macroscopic quantum behaviour!’ Simon was grinning from ear to ear. Vera squeed, unable to get over just how adorable the young man looked. 

‘So uh...how would it store Pokemon?’ Vera asked idly, tilting her head in preparation of resting it against the man’s shoulder. She had to move slowly unless the research realised what was happening. Simon was in another world. He leant back to consider the question, unaware that he’d fulfilled Vera’s plan. The Lucario’s face contorted as she fought back a cheeky grin. Success! With a mock sigh she relaxed, slumping against Simon as if the motion was completely normal. Vera waited for the shove that never came, snuggling against the man’s shoulder. 

‘Hmmm.’ Simon chewed on his lip. His mind fumbled with a question that had been bothering him all day. ‘Unless...Yes! That’s it!’ 

Vera yelped when the man jumped off the sofa. Her shock turned to frustration, the Pokemon thrown off-balance as her warm cuddly cushion suddenly disappeared from under her. Vera’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. She was so close! 

Simon hadn’t even noticed the ongoing charade. He bounced onto his feet. ‘Maybe the wave function collapse is non-deterministic. Maybe something needs to trigger it like...like an energy input? Or maybe there is another artifact that acts as a host so the Pokemon can escape? Like it’s transferred? Just maybe- ’

‘-you should have a break?’ Vera interrupted, ‘Ya know, you can’t work _all_ the time.’

The young scientist shrugged. He needed a few minutes to come down from his sudden high. Forcing out a rough sigh, he slumped his shoulders, regarding the small living room with fresh eyes. It was getting late out, a red sunset casting long shadows through their apartment window. Vera looked like she had tumbled onto the sofa, large hind paws splayed out as she slouched across the cream cushions. There was something about the Lucario that made her seem restless, an agitation to her form as she twiddled her large paw-pads in thought. 

Vera rolled over, showing off a considerable amount of ass, before sitting upright. ‘You got any plans for this evening?’ She asked, brightening, ‘Hey, wanna go multiplayer on the nintendo? Smash?’ 

Simon shook his head, ‘I think I’m just going to grab a shower. You’d just beat me anyways.’

‘Gotta be in it to win it, buddy.’ 

The next day proceeded in much the same way as the one before. Fueled by a large mug of coffee, Simon stumbled into work and reviewed another scan of the ancient box. This time he’d collected data via via long-exposure on the PIR sensor. It didn’t yield much than what he’d already expected. The sealed box was definitely showing some strange signal, like a dulled EM spectrum you’d expect from a Pokeball. Something must be inside! The researcher was so lost in his work that he didn’t hear a faint knock at the door. 

‘Hey! Careful!’ Simon jumped back from the door to the lab when it suddenly flew open. In the confined space, the young researcher had to squeeze himself against the table. ‘Can’t you read the-?’

‘Routine laser safety inspection.’ A rather bored auditor cut through Simon’s objections. With a grey fleece zipped up to their tubby neck, the man tucked a clipboard under an arm and stepped inside. He spoke in a drawl, beady eyes scanning the tiny white room ‘Just need to check the laser shutter. Got a four-b in here, right? Specs?’ 

‘Yeah. Just...Ugh…’ Simon attempted to squeeze outside and give the inspector some room. The balding man bumbled in anyhow, a small Magnemite whizzing over his shoulder to float above the boxy infra-red scanner. There was barely enough room for either to breathe. Simon muffled a few choice swear words, using his body as a shield to protect the mysterious relic with his stomach. 

‘Alright. It’s looking...Yeah.’ The inspector sniffed. ‘Excuse Sparks ‘ere. Just going to run a low-’

‘OW!’ Simon jumped as an electric shock shot through his nervous system. ‘fuckin’...WATCH IT! I’ve got samples in-’ 

‘Ah, Sparks! You’ve got to be more careful.’ The inspector scolded his Pokemon, completely ignoring Simon’s complaints. ‘Well, at least we know them fuses work. Looks like ya have the right precautions in place. Thanks for your time mate.’ 

The researcher had daggers for eyes, watching the laser safety officer leave before shutting the lab door with finality. A sharp pain clung to the space between his shoulder blades, the hair on his arms still standing on end. Sure, Simon had been shocked by electric types before...but not in his own lab! Tutting to himself, he scratched at his eyes shakily and ensured the copper Pokemon box was unharmed. 

Sitting down with a huff, Simon rolled his shoulders. He could feel the throbbing headache begin to develop even as he leant forward to inspect the artifact. The brassy contained seemed unchanged, displaying the same thunderbolt designs and zig-zag indentations. Simon blinked. At least the container wasn’t damaged...even if it was clear the headache wasn’t going to go away any time soon.

The researcher returned to his office for a lunch break, typing up his recent findings for the remainder of the afternoon. When Simon still felt like he was going to throw-up two hours later, he knew something wasn’t right. Only after he’d sat staring at his computer screen for ten minutes without typing a single word, he decided it might be a good idea to call it a day. Simon signed out and caught the bus back home. 

The young man was a little embarrassed when Vera pushed open the front door later that afternoon. The Lucario stumbled in, scraping off her paws on the doormat, before plodding into the kitchen. Simon often made an example of working longer days at the observatory as if that was something to be proud of. His flatmate wasn’t expecting him to be back already, lounging on the sofa with a bag of frozen peas precariously balanced on his forehead. Vera paused at the door into the living room, raising her eyebrows upon noticing the young man sprawled over the settee. 

‘Let me guess. You bumped your head on that shelf in the office again?’ 

‘Wa...No!’ Simon sniffed, struggling to get up before another headache split through his skull. ‘Uugh. A stupid Magnemite shocked me! Some idiot inspector guy and...Ugh. My head feels like it’s turning into a black hole.’ 

‘Awww buddy.’ The Lucario perched on the armrest of the sofa, ruffling the man’s hair with a large black paw. Her work clothes were still grimy with mud from her work in the garden. ‘You stay there. I’ll just wash and then make you a nice lemon tea.’ 

Simon ducked away from the Pokemon’s petting. Though, he wished he hadn't when a sharp pain tricked down his spine. For such a small electric shock, the researcher wasn’t sure why it hurt so much. Vera watched him contemplate this out of the corner of her eye, a pensive frown forming across her face. There was an odd change of scent to Simon. Although not a strong aura-user herself, Vera could tell something about his energy was off. Just how ill was he?

‘Well. Let me grab a shower and maybe we can have a movie night?’ She reached forward to cheekily muss Simon’s hair once more, much to his disdain. Vera stubby fingers brushed past his parting between a double crown. The man’s hair seemed much softer than normal and distinctly more yellow than blonde. 

‘Yeah yeah.’ The man waved her away with a grumble. He was forced to pretend he didn’t enjoy the Pokemon’s fusing even if the attention brought a warm feeling in his stomach. Vera wandered off leaving a curiously alluring scent of sweat, garden mud, and lilies in her wake.

It was only when Simon heard the water boiler shudder to life that he allowed a sad smile to cross his face. No matter what happened, Vera always seemed to be in a cheerful mood. Even without trying she’d made him feel better. Though, that might have been the paracetamol finally kicking in. Sometimes he found his thoughts wandering from her merry personality to her ample hips and cute, petite chest. Vera was perfect with a great personality and striking figure...but she was also a Lucario. Even if the man did have a secret crush on his flatmate, he knew the repercussions of dating a Pokemon. 

The next morning broke bright and beautiful...and Simon still felt like shit. Vera had already risen and left by the time he stumbled into the kitchen to make a coffee. Whilst waiting for his cafetiere to brew, the researcher popped another dose of paracetamol and tried to shake-off the groggy static in his head. He took a shave, unsure why the bristles covering his cheeks were so much darker than normal. The hair Simon washed down the sink was wiry and kinda blue? Most likely Vera’s fur had got rolled up in his bed linen again in the washing machine. 

‘Morning Simon. You alright? You look kinda rough.’ The receptionist at Hokulani Observatory greeted the researcher as he signed in with his keycard. Grunting, Simon pocketed his card. The aging receptionist supervising the process studied the scientist with a worried expression. ‘Haven’t started a new diet have you? You look a bit skinny around the arms.’ 

‘Nah. Just got a cold or something.’ The man mumbled. 

Simon was surprised at just how many comments he got as the day wore on. The old academic researching quantum computing in the neighbouring office mentioned how much Simon was fidgeting, the resultant squeak of his chair reverberating through the floor. Even the lab technician muttered something about his big ears. Simon hid away in his office, churning through data ardently. He refused to be ill, forcing himself to do more and more work as a way to prove his body wrong. It wasn’t easy, his eyes straying towards the sunshine outside. Thunderstorms had been predicted for the next few days and Simon had the strange urge to make the most of the good weather. 

Five o’clock couldn’t come quick enough. With unusual haste, the young man locked away the relic inside his office, swiped himself out with his keycard, and caught the number three bus home. The regarulity of the process, paired with Simon’s banging headache, meant he went through the actions unthinkingly. The researcher failed to notice the odd looks he attacked on the public transport down the mountain to Tapu Village. 

Disembarking, he walked the last half a mile through the suburbs to his apartment. 

Wiping at his brow, Simon decided that he’d definitely caught something. He couldn’t stop sniffling, his face felt flushed, and there was a strange pain between his shoulders that wouldn’t go away. All the signs pointed to some kind of flu. Unlocking the front door, Simon shook his head as if to shake out the fuzziness in his brain. With his bag dumped at the front door, the man wandered through to the living room, grabbing a can of pop from the fridge on-route. 

‘Ugh…’ The groan came naturally as he flopped onto the sofa.

Vera didn’t know how long the young man was lying there when she stuck her head around the door. Having finished earlier than normal on a Friday afternoon, the Lucario had already grabbed a late lunch and a hot shower to clean the grime from between her toes. Working as a gardener was sweaty work. She’d had the time to comb through her fur and button on a comfortable shirt that accommodated both her chest spike and sizable bust. The relaxed clothes weren’t flattering, by there was a charm to the otherwise gorgeous Lucario and her wrinkled top. 

‘Wow...Simon? You alri...Shit! What happened to you?’

Vera’s soft questioning flipped from worry to confusion, and then to dismay within a few seconds. The researcher craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the Lucario’s muzzle dropping open in shock.

‘I’m dying.’ Simon flopped back down dramatically, sweat pooling around the armpits of his shirt.

‘Uh... _sure you are_. When was the last time you shaved? You look a mess.’ 

‘This morning!’ The young man countered, tucking his legs in so that the Pokemon could take a seat on the sofa beside him. Vera, however, merely hovered above the brown leather. Her flatmate looked like he’d been pulled through a hedge backwards. Simon’s face was covered in a thin matt of dark blonde stubble. So dark in fact, that it almost looked brown in the afternoon sunlight. He’d managed to get blue paint in a splode on blonde fringe. Not to mention two bright smears over his cheek as well? 

When Simon sat up he seemed smaller than he should. His shirt hung loosely off his frame. Thanks to regular trips to the gym, the young man was fitter than most. _Toned_ was a word Vera often used, even _muscular_ around the biceps when he stretched in the right way. However, Simon looked gaunt curled up on the sofa. 

‘And the blue paint?’ Vera crossed her arms. Concern never left her face, eyes narrowing under the black, mask-like fur covering her muzzle. The Pokemon’s ears drooped back in contemplation. She reached out with her aura, black lobes on the back of her head rising within a hum. Whatever disturbance Vera had noticed in the man’s aura yesterday seemed to have amplified alarmingly. 

Simon blinked, staring at the Lucario from his position sprawled across the sofa. 

‘Blue paint?’ He queried, 

‘Yeah, silly. You’ve smeared it under your eyes too.’ Vera shook off her unease, bending down to give Simon a little stroke across each cheek with a large, black paw. The blue colouration appeared to have only adhered to his fuzzy cheek stubble rather than the skin. In fact, it didn’t look like paint at all. More like blue fur zig-zagging either side of his nose. 

‘That doesn’t seem right.’ She muttered, settling down onto the sofa besides the man. ‘How long have you been feeling sick?’ 

Simon struggles to sit up. He wasn’t sure if he was truly that ill, or just milking the extra attention from the Lucario. Vera’s eyes sparkled with worry as she reached over to crack open the can of fizzy pop. She handed it to the man, watching his hands shake as he accepted the drink. Simon took a gulp, rubbing at his mouth with the back of a hand. He continued to rub at his cheeks and then his forehead, itching his face with his wrist. Vera watched the animalistic behaviour out of the corner of her eye. 

‘So? You've been like this all day?’ The Lucario pushed, considering whether to whisk the man off to the hospital at that very moment.

‘Uh. I guess so?’ Simon sighed, ‘I’ve had a splitting headache since last night. I might have the flu…?’ 

Vera studied the young man’s fingers grasping his tin can of pop. She knew for a fact that Simon had a thing about keeping his nails short...mostly because he bit them all the time at work. Today, however, they were overgrown and blackened by something...to the point that they resembled rounded claws. Vera hummed in worry. She rested a hand-paw on top of Simon’s head, feeling for a temperature. 

‘It might be more than that.’ The Pokemon thought out loud, gently prodding the man’s forehead ‘This isn’t some weird radiation from that old boxy thing hurting you? Or that electric shock from yesterday? It didn’t trigger some ancient curse or anything? I mean, you have a temperature.’ 

‘Seriously. And how’s that supposed to happen? Curses aren’t real!’ Simon grumbled, shaking his head before taking another gulp of his drink.

Vera removed her paw ‘Well. If you’re willing to _argue_ then you can’t be _that_ bad.’ 

Simon didn’t respond well to the teasing. Faking an evil glare, he threw his back on the sofa with a dramatic groan. 

‘Aww buddy.’ Vera bit her lip, ‘Well. You're going to the doctors first thing tomorrow. Yes! I’ll drag you there if I have to!’ The latter was said as Simon practically whined, a strange high-pitched mew that didn’t fit the young researcher. ‘Tough love.’ 

‘Fine. But only if I’m still hot.’ Simon confirmed bitterly. 

‘Well there's hot and then there’s _hawt_...and at the moment you’re both.’ The Lucario chuckled, giving the man a nudge. Simon was bright red, and it certainly wasn’t a warm flush from the flu. Vera leaned over to grab the television remote with a cheeky grin on her face. The maneuver had scooted her across the sofa a few inches, pressed up against Simon tightly. The risk of catching the flu herself was outweighed by the opportunity to physically comfort the man. Unusually, Simon didn’t seem to mind the close contact. From the adorable little sigh as he rested his head against her shoulder, he actually seemed to be enjoying it! 

‘Looks like round two on the movie night!’ Vera smiled in glee, a bubble of delight bursting in her chest from the cosy contact. ‘And I think it’s my time to choose! No crappy sci fi, we’re getting a romcom up. 

Tucked up against his Lucario flatmate, the young man mocked a groan, lolling back on the sofa whilst watching Vera out of the corner of his eye for a reaction. Her ears twitched, though she seemed more intent on loading up a film streaming app than Simon’s poor acting beside her.

‘Hey. It might cheer you up a little.’ Vera mused, putting down the remote. She reached over to ruffle the researcher’s hair. ‘You know what they say, laughter is the best medicine.’ 

Simon didn’t complain. In fact, he wriggled up closer against Vera. Whether it was because of his illness removing pre-existing inhibitions, or that the contact simply filled the lonely hole in his chest with warmth, Simon didn’t care. His Pokemon flatmate’s fur was plush and he snuggled up next to her, feeling a comforting paw wrap around his shoulder. The gesture felt protective, the man relaxing within the warm embrace. He almost felt the need to purr in content. Whatever happened, Simon knew he was going to sleep through a significant proportion of the film. 

The next morning dawned overcast and humid. As predicted, a storm front was sweeping over the island of Ula’ula with the threat of rain and thunderstorms. Vera felt the thick air clinging to her fur, running a paw through her coat in an attempt to flatten mussed cowlicks. She wandered from her beside to the wardrobe, putting on the shorts and vest she’d left out from the night before. As a Pokemon, Vera could technically get away without wearing clothes. However, her somewhat humanoid appearance dictated some decency. Small perky breasts had to be covered, but she didn’t need a bra. Although, the the Lucario didn’t hesitate to imagine herself in lingerie. Something black and lacy to highlight her round butt and ample hips. Thin fabric to hint at the capacious sex hidden in a nest of fur between her legs. 

Dressing for work, Vera stopped via the bathroom to clean her rounded canines, before checking in on Simon. The researcher had yet to stir. It was unlikely that the young man knew Vera had hijacked his phone. She commandeered it when he’d last night when he’d fallen asleep watching Love Actually, wrapped up nearly on her lap. After disabling his morning alarm, the Pokemon sent an email into work calling off sick until the weekend. Given she had to practically carry the man back into bed later that night, Vera doubted he noticed. 

Pushing open his bedroom door softly, the Lucario poked her muzzle around the frame. It took her crimson eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim lighting inside. 

Simon was still rolled up in bed. He lay with his head on the pillows and a thin blanket coiled round to form a nest around himself. Frowning, Vera waited for a few seconds before sliding inside. She wouldn’t like to admit exactly how she knew, but Vera was certain that Simon made a habit of sleeping like a plank on his back. Looking closer and she saw he was curled up into a ball, breathing lightly in a deep slumber. 

Inching forward near silently on her large footpaws, Vera’s ears perked up in concern as she studied Simon’s sleeping form. 

Something was definitely wrong. Whatever strange virus, fever, or curse the man had caught was getting worse. Even his aura was a confusing mess of human stresses...and something primitive. No matter how much Vera wanted to deny it, there was no hiding the truth. 

Simon was developing features which certainly weren’t human. 

Most notably was the sheer amount of fuzz covering his face. Vera could see it wasn’t wispy hair from lack of shaving, but a dense fur that coated his cheeks. The man’s nose seemed to have shrunk, the end black and damp. His ears had stretched upwards and out into something remarkably feline, coated in an electric yellow fur that also formed scruffy sideburns framing his face. Vera couldn’t see the rest of Simon’s body, given that he was curled up under his blanket. However, something distinctly tail-like hung out from under the covers. 

‘Shit.’ Vera scratched under her eyes, ‘shittity shit.’ The Lucario was torn. Whatever illness was affecting Simon, it seemed to be changing his body somehow. Given the fur covering his body and remarkably feline shape, it looked like he was turning into some kind of Pokemon. Vera shivered, hopping from one foot to another in confusion. She was tempted to ring the ambulance...but Simon wasn’t exactly dying. 

The researcher was fast asleep. Energy needed for the apparent transformation was being sapped from his body. He barely twitched as he slept, his mind coming to rest as he breathed slowly and deeply. A peaceful expression rested across his partially feline face. If so much had changed overnight, Vera wasn’t sure how long Simon had before he couldn't be classified as human. 

The young researcher wasn’t aware what happened in the following hours. He barely recalled even falling asleep on the sofa the evening before, curled up in Vera’s paw with a contented smile. Simon became lucid slowly, blinking sleep from his eyes before he’d even realised he was awake. His body felt fuzzy, somehow out of focus as he stirred in his bed. It seemed more plush than normal. Rubbing his face against the pillow, the scientist gradually became aware that something was _wrong_. 

Strangely enough, it was the scent of the bed linen that sparked alarm bells in his head. Rolling over, Simon pulled himself up into a seated position before rubbing at his tired eyes. What he wasn’t expecting the soft touch of his hands against his face. Simon blinked. He stared down in bewilderment as his fingers. What the fuck? This had to be some kind of joke...surely? 

He only had four stubby digits of each hand, rounded grey claws dotted the end of each. All dexterity had been replaced by squiggy paw pads that darkened his hands with what looked like blue leather. 

After a moment's hesitation, Simon slapped himself around the face. All it achieved was a dull pain in his jaw. At least he knew he was awake. Blinking, Simon eyed his odd paw-like hands again. They were covered in thick yellow fur, twin streaks of black on the back. What was most concerning was how big they were! His hands felt huge and cumbersome. Electric yellow fluff coated his arms right up to his elbow, enlarging his paws in a way that was incommodious but not exactly unwieldy...just BIG. Simon flexed his shortened fingers, eyeing sharp silver claws with apprehension. What had happened to him?

The man’s eyes glided down the rest of his form. White sheets covered the lower half of his body, ending around his middle which was completely bare. Well, at least of any form of clothing. Dark charcoal fur lined his stomach. Blue tufts of hair poking out between his pectoral muscles, turning into a fuzzy yellow pelt enveloping his shoulders. He looked like some type of Pokemon? Either that, or an expertly executed prank…? Simon’s head spun with hypotheses to explain the new bodily characteristics. 

This couldn’t be real. 

He felt warm under the sheets. More yellow fur coated his legs down his knees, the mass of fluff tickling his skin under the thin blanket. Whatever had happened must have also affected the rest of his body. Simon tested out a new paw, reaching down to study his nethers when the door suddenly popped open. 

Simon yelped, jumping out of his new skin. The shock of the odd transformation had absorbed all the researcher’s focus, ears perking up on Simon’s head as he spun to face the noise. He’d had expected to see Vera poking her head around his bedroom door. However, it was very clear he wasn’t at home. 

The greying female doctor definitely wasn’t Vera, and the white-washed hospital room certainly looked nothing like his bedroom. Rubbing the grogginess out of his eyes, Simon stared around the private ward. A small sink stood on the wall opposite the bed, faint sunlight illuminating health-and-safety signs from a window to his left. Strangely, all the posters displayed various Pokemon. Maybe it used to be a children’s ward? Blinds had been pulled down over the window. Simons’s ears twitched at what sounded like rain pattering against the glass. 

The doctor slipped in, closing the door firmly behind her. Holding a clipboard under his arm, she adjusted chunk spectacles over a shrewd nose. She looked every part the medical professional. Grey hair was tightly held back in a bun, hovering above the collar of a white vet scrub. Simon couldn’t see her name badge clearly, but he wasn’t sure why there was a pokeball logo stitched over her chest. 

‘How are you feeling Simon?’ The doctor asked briskly, dropping her clipboard in a slot at the end of the bed. She sighed, leaning against the raised metal mattress frame. There was no shame at how obviously she scanned the man up and down, eyes settling on Simon’s face with a small frown. ‘Not too sleepy?’ 

‘Ugh...no? You...What am I doing here? How…’ The researcher trailed off, the questions percolating through his brain suddenly. Such a cacophony of uncertainty left Simon blinking slowly in bewilderment. What the hell was going on? Casting his memory back and Simon couldn’t place exactly how he’d ended up in a medical ward. He shuffled on the bed. 

‘Hey it’s ok love.’ The doctor offered a warm smile, ‘Vera brought you in. I’m vet Thompson by the way, and I’ll be dealing with your...interesting case.’ 

‘In...Interesting?’ Simon lowered his eyes back over his paws and the hair covering his chest. Given how the woman’s attention had lingered on his head, Simon reached up unthinkingly to feel the pointed protrusions sat on his scalp. Wait...were those his ears? The young scientist frowned, uncomfortable with how he felt the sensation of his paws tickling what he assumed were his ears. 

Only then did Simon’s brain fully decode what the woman had said. 

‘Wait! You’re a...a vet? W...w...where am I?’ Simon struggled to get the words out, his tongue strangely too big for his mouth. He pushed himself up in his bed, the thin blanket falling away to expose a grey pelt covering a chiseled abdominals. He kicked away the fabric, cold air touching fluffy thighs covered in a thick mess of bright yellow fur

‘It’s ok dear. You’re in Malie City Pokecenter.’ Vet Thompson spoke slowly, taking slow steps towards the man. She held her hands apart unconsciously, mimicking calm body language to comfort scared Pokemon. It was a gesture borne from years of habit. ‘Given that you might lie under our...specialisms, you were referred from the hospital over the road. We’re looking after you.’ 

Her voice was clear, a way to distract the half-man, half-Pokemon as she stepped closer. 

‘OK. There we go.’ The vet paused at the man’s side, resting a hand softly behind Simon’s giant, pointed ear. ‘Sit still for a moment. I will be shining a bright light into your eyes.’ 

Before Simon had the chance to object, the vet had whipped out a small flashlight and shone it on his face, moving from one eye to the next. The researcher teared up as he flinched back from the illumination. He felt embarrassed at the strange contact of Thompon’s hand on his head, unsure why the tickle off his ears was so delightful. 

‘Great.’ Vet Thompson pocketed the flashlight, her hands moving deftly to pluck something else out of her scrub pocket. ‘It’s all looking good. Now, can you open wide? I’m just going to run this around your cheeks.’

‘Whaa..’ Simon eyed the cotton swab, shuddering at the uncertainty of how he was supposed to behave. However, he was caught off-guard when the old lady whipped forward and stuck the stick into his agape muzzle. Simon jumped back in surprise, vet Thompson roughly running the material across the interior of his mouth. She dodged sharp canines as she retracted the swab and dropped it into a sealed plastic bag. The whole process had only taken a few seconds. 

‘There we go.’ the Vet feigned a smile, ignoring the low grumble forming in Simon’s throat. The researcher was unaware of reaction, too offended by the woman's complete disrespect of his personal space. His fluffy yellow ears had pulled back against his scalp, eyes narrowing as a long growl began to gurgle from his throat. 

‘Hey, that wasn’t so bad was it?’ The old vet leant forward to ruffle the fur on top of Simon’s head. She suddenly realised what she was doing a moment too late. Remembering that the scientist wasn’t exactly a Pokemon, not to mention his clear discomfort about the whole situation, vet Thompson quickly removed her hand. 

‘Uh sorry about that. I’m used to dealing with more... _uncooperative_ patients.’ She offered a rough smile, ‘I’m going to run the swabs through a DNA test to see what’s going on. The prelims are certain you’re an electric type, but that’s all we know. In the meantime, do you know of any reason why **this** -’ The woman gestured to the whole of Simon with a curt wave, ‘-might have happened?’

The physicist stared back in embarrassment. Blinking slowly, Simon’s eyes trailed down to his giant, fluffy paws and then the fur covering his chest. He looked like a strange hybrid between something human and Pokemon. There was something distinctly feline about his features. Predatory even, given his sharp claws. Tiredly, Simon shook his head. He couldn’t think of anything that might have triggered the strange reaction. 

‘I’ve b...been feeling a little ill recently. Headaches and stuff.’ 

‘Uh huh.’ The Pokecenter vet picked up her clipboard from the bed frame once more. She clicked a ballpoint pen and scribbled something down. ‘And when did that start?’ 

‘Three days ago?’ Simon guessed, partly because he didn’t know what day it presently was. Vet Thompson nodded, humming as she wrote. Waiting awkwardly, the scientist wobbled his jaw. He’d discovered it was difficult to make certain sounds through his short muzzle. His tongue felt too big and long, such that guttural consonants became difficult to pronounce. 

‘And do you know of anything that might have triggered it? Like...did anything unusual happen before you started feeling ill?’ 

Simon paused, trying to think what had happened over the past few days. He shook his head. He couldn’t recall anything obvious regarding his health. There _was_ that small electric shock during the laser inspection, but it seemed insignificant given the extent of his ongoing transformation. Perhaps it had something to do with the artifact, no matter how improbable? 

After answering a few more stereotypical questions, the vet bobbed her head. 

‘Right. I’ve written all that on your file , so I’ll leave you in peace. Whatever changes that are occuring appear to be gradual, using your body’s energy reserves. It’s actually strikingly similar to cases we have of prolonged evolution, so...yeah. I’ll leave you to rest. We’ll let you know the results of the scan later when we come around with dinner.’ 

‘Uh, thanks.’ Simon yawned. He wasn’t expected to be fed but it did make sense. He struggled to rationalise the fact that he was in the ward of a Pokecenter. It did make sense given his new characteristics, but the sheer embarrassment at being cared for by a _vet_ made Simon’s skin crawl. The way she had patted his head had felt so good that….no! He shouldn’t be thinking like that. He was still human right? A cute, fluffy feline who...who was still human inside? 

Simon watched vet Thompson leave, waiting for the door to click shut. Only then did he wiggle into a more comfortable position. Leaning against the wall behind him, the anthropomorphic cat struggled to sit back properly without any aching in his back. A furry, tail-like protrusion from between his shoulders kept twitching, making it impossible to get comfortable

‘Stupid thing,’ Simon wiggled for a few moments before settling still. His ears picked up the whirl of ventilation in the ceiling, the patter of rain outside, and footsteps in the hallway outside. 

Only once he was sure he’d be undisturbed did the feline peel back the blankets, exposing his legs and feet for scrutiny. Much like his hand-paws, Simon’s feet appeared to be much bigger than they had any right to be. Three rounded digits were capped with sharp metallic claws and covered in charcoal fur. This extended past his ankles, which seemed to be in the process of lengthening into digitigrade form. Above his calves, thick yellow fur puffed out above chunky calves, coating his middle in something resembling bright yellow shorts. 

Simon’s nose twitched as he reached a paw down to explore his nethers. Thick fur obscured anything obvious but some form of change was indisputable...he just wasn’t sure exactly what. The researcher grumbled as he tried to brush back the fur with cumbersome hand-paws, feeling a tight ball-sack squeezed between sturdy thighs. Simon never thought of himself as being overly muscular even if he did regularly visit the gym. However, the obvious outline of a buff six pack above powerful quadriceps seemed strangely _right_ . The knowledge that he was turning into something much _faster_ and _stronger_ than his pitiful human self was oddly pleasing. A tinge of warmth tingled down his spine at the realisation. This quickly turned into arousal as Simon groped his nethers, unsure why he couldn’t feel the mast of his manhood. 

‘What the…?’ Simon tried reaching further, finding it difficult to squeeze his mammoth paws down to his privates. Blue paw pads rummaged around as he fondled his balls with a digit, unsure whether his cock had shrunk or just gone completely. Yet, the motion of tickling his own balls did the familiar tense need for release. So did caressing a new bulge of flesh starting to enlarge above his balls, filling the space of his crotch. Although Simon was certain a Pokecenter ward was not the best place for exploring his sex, it was had to pause the delightful rubbing of rounded toe beans across his privates. 

A warm flush developed across the feline’s cheeks. In a brazen manner quite unlike his normal self, Simon spread his legs apart widely and bent over for a closer look. 

Like most other species of cat, Simon’s manhood retracted into a fuzzy sheath when flaccid. The electric-type’s amateur rubbing and self-conscious exploration had brought a hot wave of need to his nethers. His penis was already bulging from the hot flush of arousal, a sizable sheath in marked contrast to a compact ball sack that was already aching for release. Simon’s growing focus on his manhood only made things worse. Blood rushed to his fluffy cheeks and cock equally. The latter was beginning to protrude from its cover, tip extending from its protective sheath. 

The humanoid feline held a breath, startled by the inflation of his pointed dick. Not simply because of its shape, but also it’s colour. His penis was a bright electric blue. Reaching forward, all Simon wanted to do was touch it, feeling the flesh through the dulled sensitivity of his hand-paws. Even the small fondle sent a pulse of arousal shooting down his spine. Simon squeezed his ass-cheeks, a rough moan escaping his lips. His dick shot up, fully erect and with a tapering point resembling something far from anything human. Small nubs covered the tip. Each felt stupendously sensitive, even to the smallest touch. 

Simon panted, toying with the possibility of masturbating there and then. He couldn’t resist the idea of trying out his new manhood, driven increasingly horny by the shamelessness of performing such an action in the Pokecenter ward. His blue pointed dick pulsed needily, urging the feline to play with himself. Simon didn’t have the willpower to resist. Just as Simon lowered his paws in a clumsy attempt to get himself off, the door clicked open. 

In a flash the feline snapped his legs shut, drew his knees together, and whipped his bed sheets back over his lower half. The action wedged Simon’s barbed kitty cock between his thighs in a way that was both painful and oddly arousing. 

‘Hey. I’ve got you some lunch,’ a veterinary nurse walked in backwards, a tray balance on one hand as he closed the door with the other. Simon tried to control his breathing as the young man wandered over with a business-like smile. It was clear the nurse was trying to avoid staring, balancing the tray on the edge of the bed. 

‘I guess you can manage with this? I’ll pop by in a bit to collect the bowls.’ 

As quickly as that, Simon was left alone in the room once more. Knees up to his chest with a feline shaft tenting the blankets, the electric-cat barely had time to comprehend what had happened. 

However, all thoughts of sexual release dissipated by the strong aroma of food wafting from the tray beside him. The plastic board held a large glass of water and a round bowl filled with some kind of brown gloop. If it wasn’t for the fantastic smell of meat and gravy, Simon wasn’t sure he would have touched the mixture. 

Fumbling to drink from the glass between his oversized paws, Simon found eating dinner to be even more difficult. The bowl repeatedly slipped from between his forepaws. There wasn’t even any cutlery to use, not that Simon could have held a spoon if he tried. After much frustration (and almost spilling the meat dish all over him) the researcher’s hunger got the better of him. He set the bowl down on the bed and, with a dark grumble, climbed onto all fours. The stance came naturally as Simon hovered above his dinner. There was no shame in the animalistic way in which he stuck his muzzle into the bowl and lapped up Torchic chunks…as long as nobody was around to see him do it. 

The warm post-food lull left Simon’s eyes drooping. For most of the afternoon he dozed, listening to the sound of raindrops on the windowsill outside. The exhaustion remaining in his body following the transformation left him bone-tired. 

Simon was snoozing when Vera came by to visit. 

The Lucario had spent a busy day pruning trees at work, fur speckled with sawdust. Moisture clung to her clothes from the speckle of rain outside. Entering the ward on tip-toes, Vera tried not to disturb her flatmate curled up on the bed. That didn’t stop her heart skipping a beat as she took in his new features. 

Simon no longer looked strictly human. For that matter, he didn’t look human at all!

The Lucario padded up to the mattress. 

Although almost too quiet to hear, Simon’s new feline ears perked up at the sound of footsteps, swivelling subconsciously to locate the sound. The scientist groaned, turning over to regard his flatmate. Luminescent blue eyes blinked tiredly. 

‘Hey…’ Simon grumbled, the word stretching into a whine as he yawned. The scientist’s muzzle widened, flashing a mouth full of sharp white teeth, before snapping shut.

‘Uh, hi.’ Vera fumbled with her words, ‘How are you feeling? Like, yeah I know you’re uh...kinda...Fluffy? But uh...’ She clasped her front paws, unsure where to look. There was very little that remained of Simon’s face but for his sparkling blue eyes, the rest of his features more closely resembling that of a feline. Furry blue thunderbolts underlined sleepy eyes, his forehead a mess of bright azure hair. Cute pointed ears perked on the newly-transformed Pokemon’s head, the insides a similar grey colour to the fur coating his short muzzle. 

‘The d...the _vet_ said the DNA test didn’t match with any known Pokemon.’ Simon mumbled. Even if he now looked more like an adorable electric cat, Vera knew there was no mistaking the researcher’s whimsical moaning. ‘So...yeah. A _catastrophe_.’ 

‘You seem to be dealing with this very well.’ Vera leant over, unable to resist giving the scientist a cheeky prod in the chest. Fluffy yellow fur hid beefy pectorals, the fuzzy grey belt down his middle only acting to emphasize a tight six-pack. The Lucario paused, trying to keep her eyes up on his face...even as a primal urge pressed for a cheeky glance at Simon’s privates. Although clearly digitigrade, there was a humanoid nature to Simon’s new form somewhat similar to Vera herself. 

‘You feeling ok?’ 

‘Dead tired.’ Simon pulled a face, ‘Confused. Puzzled. Kinda hungry. You name it, I’ve felt it all in the past couple of hours.’ 

‘Well at least your headache has gone.’ Vera tried to find a silver lining. Her face broke out into a grin as she leant in closer on the hospital bed. ‘And you look so _adorable_! You were cute before but now look at you. Awww kitty!’ The Lucario’s eyes sparkled as she ruffled the feline’s head. Reaching down to pick up one of Simon’s front paws, inspecting the oddly dangerous but certainly charming, plush toebeans. 

The newly transformed feline let his flatmate proceed with the physical inspection. He’d grown progressively more bored and lonely throughout the day, sat by himself in the immutable veterinary ward. Simon didn’t want to break the friendly, innocent way at which Vera struggled to fathom the size of his hand-paws. The sheer delight brighting her face, not to mention his own pleasure at the gentle stroking of his fur, meant Simon refrained from re-defining his personal space. What did it matter anyhow? The soft tickles behind his ears felt _so_ good! What was wrong with enjoying a little scratch from his best friend. 

‘Are you actually purring!?’ Vera chortled, lifting a paw from itching at the feline’s fuzzy scalp. The scientist reached up to tug the Lucario's spiked mitt back down onto his head and thus continue the pats. Vera squeed, ‘Awww buddy...it must have been rough for you.’

Simon didn’t care how demoralizing it was being petted like a common Purrloin. All the comfort and attention brought a warm bubble of contentment to his stomach. A low rumble rose from his chest to focus on his throat - a steady vibration in recognition of the pleasure. His eyes closed slowly, blinking happily at the headpats. 

‘Oh, before I forget, I brought some of your stuff. Talking to reception and...uh, they don’t want to keep you here long. Something about more tests? But I’ve brought your phone. I think work has been trying to contact you?’ 

The scientist sighed, waiting as Vera pulled off her satchel and rummaged through the bag. Her pointed blue tail wagged as she fumbled inside. Watching out of the corner of his eye, the feline's attention rapidly moved from his device to Vera herself. Simon always tried to avoid any obvious staring...but now seemed different. Not only did transforming into a Pokemon himself remove any societal barriers preventing a relationship, but his perspective of the Lucario had changed as well. 

She’d been his bubbly, friendly flatmate for years. And sure, Vera was attractive...but most Lucarios were. Looking at her now however and Simon couldn’t escape the fact. Vera was _hawt._ The way her perky breasts filled her tank top, nipples almost visible from the damp splodges of rain that had yet to dry. His heart beat a little faster. She had curves in all the right places, waist narrowing into rounded thighs and what might have been called a bubble butt. There was a proportionality to her body that was missing on many Lucario. Petite shoulders and a chest covered in cream fur, cute steel spikes and a ready smile, Vera was absolutely gorgeous. 

‘Hey, Simon? Everything ok?’ The Pokemon waved a paw in front of the feline’s glassy eyes, ‘You looked like you were in another world then. Do I need to get the vet?’ 

‘Yeah uh...sorry.’ Simon apologised, trying to collect his phone with what felt like useless front paws. He didn’t have the dexterity nor movement with only four pudgy digits to grasp his device. Instead, he balanced the smartphone openly on one paw-pad whilst prodding at the screen in an attempt to unlock it. 

‘Here. Let me help.’ With practiced ease, Vera leant off and tapped in the numbered code. Simon just grunted, not wanting to start a conversation on exactly how the Lucario knew his passcode. ‘Like, you’ve got tons of missed calls.’ 

‘By the looks of- Shit!’ The phone’s screen lit up with an incoming call, small vibrations tickling the fur on his arm. ‘Yeah that...ugh. Stupid thing!’ 

Simon fumbled with the touch screen, almost shutting down the call before manuving a digit to the green pickup icon. There was a delay before the call went through. The caller ID and contact popped up on screen. 

‘Uh, hi. This is….Mike?’

‘Well shit. _FINALLY_. Where have you been all day? You’re sick, right?’

‘Yeah...uh, yeah. Sorry.’ The feline balanced the phone on a paw, leaning down to speak as clearly as he could into the microphone. ‘I’m kinda ill.’ 

‘You sound it. Yeah, I’m just checking in seems your loan of the artifact is over tomorrow. Have you left anybody to return it back to us? I’m popping up to the observatory for three. That ok? I expect it to be in exactly the same state I left you with it mind.’ The man which Simon had correctly identified babbled through the phone. Mike didn’t even pause for the Feline to answer his questions.‘You can still work from home right? A friend rang in to say you had the-’

‘Yeah I’ll arrange to have the artifact returned for you then.’ Simon cut through the broad chatter. He rubbed at his snout, only then recalling his lab work. Of course! He’d been studying what might have been the earliest discovered Pokemon storage device. 

The newly-transformed feline had completely forgotten about the relic. Humming to himself, any pondering was disturbed by Mike’s burst of drabble. 

‘Ah cool. All I needed to know. You know the linguist team at Hau’oli has made a breakthrough right? They translated some of the writing on the top. Like, some ancient native dialect or something. Very archaic.’

‘Uh huh.’ Simon mumbled, stealing a glance over at Vera. The Lucario rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the man’s continuous burbling.

‘They think it’s something to do with storing items seems they translated things like possess and permanent. It’s likely some form of container for religious purposes! Cool right?! The lighting bolts make it seem like they were praying to some electrical deity. Like, maybe some elemental god or something? It might have been a mythical Pokemon perhaps. I mean, Zeraora was a popular Pokemon held sacred as a deities at that time. You know, they even had a-’

‘Yeah. I uh…’ Simon tried to interrupt but struggled to make the correct sounds in his short muzzle. Mike didn’t seem to notice. 

‘It’s this big yellow Poke-’

‘Mike. I need to…’ The feline tried again. 

‘-a possibility! I looked over your superposition notes and not sure on the science. I mean, the box could be both full and empty at the same time? How’s that even-’ 

Simon ended a call with a prod. With a few choice swear words, he slid the phone onto the blanket in front of him. 

‘HEY! What did you do that for!’ Vera snapped up the device, shooting the feline a heated glare. Simon eyes widening at the unexpected rebuke. He rarely saw the Lucario get angry. 

‘H..he was just going on about...about nonse-’

‘Weren’t you _listening_? He said that the box might be possessing you!’ Vera shook her head in exasperation. The Pokemon lying on the bed next to her huffed, trying to cross his arms over his chest. Given the size of his huge front paws, all it did was turn the feline in a fluffy ball of yellow fur. Simon’s pouting only made it cuter. He watched Vera navigate his smartscreen with such ease that it was suspect. 

‘Ok. Here we go. Ze-Zeraora. Must have spelt that wrong. So...an electric-type Mythical Pokemon.’ Vera glanced back and forth between the screen and Simon fidgeting on the hospital bed behind. She continued to read what was an apparently reputable web page, ‘Zeraora is a hypothesized mythical Pokemon thought to live on the Alola Islands. Only a few sightings have been reported, with native artwork depicting a large, anthropomorphic feline. Legends that include Zeraora claim that it is able to approach its enemies at the speed of lightning...then tears them limb from limb with its sharp claws? Wow. Savage.’

The Lucario glanced across to Simon for some kind of reaction. For all intensive purposes, the scientist appeared deep in thought. He wobbled his jaw, pointed ears relaxing. With his eyes spaced out, it was like somebody had switched his body into standby. Despite that, it was a typical face for Simon. Especially when he began pondering over an idea. 

‘So, you’re a Zeraora,’ Vera prompted. She decided not to mention that another translated word had come up in the phone call... _permanent_. Studying Simon cutely nestled under the white covers with his oversized paws, Vera was surprised at just how unconcerned she was with the possibility. There was a strange mix of predator and cute house cat in the man’s new form. It was both adorable and slightly dangerous at the same time. Given Vera’s feeling for her flatmate, she wasn’t surprised that such emotions were starting to develop. 

If they were both Pokemon then...there wouldn’t be any issues! Nobody could judge two Pokemon spending their lives together. And judging by Simon’s new form, he likely housed one hell of a package too. 

The newly identified Zeraora was still contemplating the species summary. 

‘Let me have a look.’ He mumbled at last, opening up a paw for Vera to drop the phone. The tail-like protrusion from behind the electric-type’s shoulders sprung loose, settling on the bed beside him. ‘This can’t be right. Nothing can travel at the speed of light...unless they mean the electrical discharge itself?’ 

‘Seriously, Simon?’ The Lucario leaning against the bed resisted the urge to facepalm. Her voice was deadpan. ‘It’s just a legend! Have a look at the pictures.’ 

The feline shook his head, continuing to mumble something about ambiguity in scientific writing. He leant forward, eyeing the images and struggling to scroll through them with a chunky digit. A complete lack of anything resembling thumbs made the whole process rather irritating. 

‘OK...yeah that seems to fit.’ The scientist admitted after a few minutes. His eyes trailed down his chest and arms, matching his form with a Pokemo name for the first time. So, he’d transformed into a Zeraora? Or was _transferred_ a better word? Whatever science had triggered the changes, the old brassy relic was definitely the source of the issue. Simon enlarged a few choice images on his phone. Many were artistic impressions of bright yellow felines in a number of various action shots. 

His research was halted when a warning message popped up on screen.

‘Ugh...low battery.’ Simon grumbled, sliding the phone off his paw and onto the blankets covered his knees. ‘But yeah. So I guess I’m a Zeroara now?’ 

‘What, how?’ Simon’s ears perked up in confusion. At least, before he realised Vera was lamenting the battery life of his smartphone. ‘I only charged it for you this morning!’ she continued, eyeing both the device and the Zeraora before her suspiciously. 

Simon just shrugged. 

The two Pokemon spent the rest of the afternoon and evening together in the ward. Simon was forced to stay overnight as the nurses ran a few more checks, revealing a completely healthy electric Pokemon...with no evidence of his previous form. As far as the tests were concerned, there was little to suggest Simon had been anything other than a tall, humanoid feline. A few phone calls had been made to the right people and Simon’s case was passed up into the hands of medical professionals. 

The researcher sent a few emails to the archeological team the following morning. Most of the detail warned them from touching the box. Simon fabricated a bold claim about some strange radiation, hoping that might deter any over-zealous researchers like himself. However, he didn’t admit the full capabilities of the box. Stragenly, the team couldn’t mimic the same readings that Simon had recorded; finding no evidence of odd energy emissions resembling that of Z-crystals...nor any form of quantum phenomena. The implications were worrying, not that Simon lingered on his concern for long. Whatever the relic had done to him wasn’t exactly bad. 

Life at home had settled down to a new normality. 

Simon made a coffee with a grumble as the sun rose. The beverage was decaffeinated. Not because the new Zeraora simply drank for the taste, but because a highly energetic electric feline and caffeine was a bad mix. Simon proceeded through a routine of brushing his canines and throwing a few rashers of bacon in the pan for breakfast. He’d discovered that his new diet demanded a higher proportion of meat. The pleasant smell also had the combined effect of luring Vera down from their bedroom. 

‘Morning.’ The fighting-type pretty much groaned the greeting as she shuffled into the kitchen. ‘Why did you sneak out of bed so early? I thought you worked from home now? I was missing my huggable little kitty.’ The Lucario slipped over just as Simon was flipping the bacon, pulling him into a rough hug. 

The electric-type returned the embrace with a grin. Vera felt like she was wrapped up in a furry cocoon, what with Simon’s huge hand paws encircling her narrow shoulders. 

‘I should have done this sooner.’ Simon mumbled. Still a couple of inches taller than the Lucario, he rested his muzzle into the crook of her shoulder. 

‘Awwww?’ Vera chuckled, ‘Are you getting all sappy again kitty?’ 

‘Hey! I wasn’t the only one! Those moves you pulled on the Sofa weren’t very subtle...’ 

‘Yeah.’ Vera hugged the feline tighter, feeling his muscles hidden beneath plush fur. ‘At least I wasn’t staring at your butt all the time!’ 

‘But you _do_ have a very nice butt,’ Simon complimented cheekily. 

Vera released the hug but refused to let go of the Zeraora’s shoulders. For a long while, she simply started into his eyes. So much had changed in the past few days. For one, the Lucairo had grown much more certain of her emotions. Simon, on the other hand, had simply grown the confidence to show his. 

‘And I bet _you_ have a very nice cock.’ Vera’s voice was sly as she stole a glance down the feline’s unclothed body. ‘You’re lucky you can hide it under all that fuzz. How about we run an experiment or two later, kitty?’ 

The Lucario’s words elicited her expected response. 

Simon’s mouth dropped open. A hot flush rose to his cheeks and down to his cock in equal proportions. Did she honestly just suggested they have sex? Vera didn’t wait. She concluding her plan by leaning forward taking the Zeraora’s lips with her own. They locked mouths, Simon tilting his muzzle to better return the sweet gesture. For a few, heated minutes they played with each other's tongues, feeling the heat of the other’s breaths on their noses. Panting, the newly-transformed Zoraora pulled away long enough to mumble, 

‘I think I’d like that.’ 


End file.
